Eco-Minute

A legal challenge against the Line 5 oil pipeline is set to begin August 12 in Ashland. Canadian oil giant Enbridge wants to trench and blast across northern Wisconsin to make way for a new 41-mile section of the pipeline. Environmental groups and the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are challenging permits and other approvals for the project issued by the DNR. Environmental groups across...

Baby bald eagles near the great lakes are testing positive for PFAS and other toxic chemicals. Researchers found that eagles living near the great lakes had six times more toxic chemicals in their blood streams than inland populations. Other chemicals found were DDT and PCBs which were banned decades ago. A small Wisconsin school district just got some big clean energy bragging rights. The Eleva-S...

An unwelcome surprise for Wisconsin farmers looking to apply for the Federal Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP. The popular program helps rural small businesses and farmers invest in money saving energy efficiency upgrades and clean energy. But the application window that was supposed to open July 1st was abruptly closed by the USDA. The agency says it is delaying the grant application win...

We’re seeing all the smoke, but what exactly is causing all the fires in Canada? Turns out the 5,000-year-old forest stretching across the country doesn’t get as much snow cover in the spring as it used to and is experiencing warmer, drier summers because of climate change, making wildfire season much more severe. Canada’s boreal forest is the largest intact forest in the world. If you’re in the m...

The Wisconsin Supreme Court hands a big win to the environment. The court ruled it is unconstitutional for a legislative committee to block rules created by state agencies. The decision means good environmental rules now face an easier path to getting to the finish line and becoming law. For years, “legislative vetoes” by a handful of legislators stymied a long list of environmental protections. A...

The website climate.gov is no more. The site that served as a trusted resource for federal research on climate change has been officially shut down a month after its staff was fired by the Trump Administration. When it was online, climate.gov received hundreds of thousands of visitors every month. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says climate information will be housed else...

Environmental groups say the Midwest grid operator, MISO, is pushing an emergency energy plan that discriminates against wind and solar, the two cheapest ways to produce energy in our state. The plan favors fast-tracking construction of gas-burning power plants at the expense of clean energy projects. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected a similar plan from MISO last month, but enviro...

The Trump Administration’s order to keep a Michigan coal plant running could mean higher energy bills in Wisconsin. Just days before the aging plant was set to retire, the Department of Energy ordered it to stay open, citing emergency wartime powers. Staff were already gone and there was no coal on site. The utility that owns the plant wants to recoup the tens of millions of dollars it costs to br...

Warm weather is finally here and so is wildfire smoke from Canada. Forecasters say we can expect air quality warnings to come and go and come again this month with no end in sight as fires blaze out of control across central and western Canada. Environmental advocates say the hazardous smoke blanketing our state—just when we want to head outdoors—shows no community is safe from the impacts of clim...

June is pollinator month, and some Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced a package of bills to protect our bees, butterflies and other insects. The bills would prevent the DNR from using a class of pesticides of called neonicotinoids which are known to harm pollinators. They would also prevent retailers from labeling plants as pollinator-friendly if they’ve been treated with high levels of pesticide...

Dismantling the IRA and other federal clean energy incentives will add  half a gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions  by  2030 . That’s according to modeling from Princeton University. House Republicans passed aggressive cuts to clean energy incentives in their latest budget. Slowing down energy efficiency, electrification, and clean energy progress will also cause higher energy costs...

Sen. Tammy Baldwin presses EPA head Lee Zeldin on Great Lakes funding at a hearing on Capitol Hill. The exchange came just one week after Clean Wisconsin, the Healing Our Waters Coalition, and Alliance for the Great Lakes met with Baldwin to stress the importance of fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Zeldin ended up going on record saying the protections would be funded. Wiscons...

A major program that protects drinking water is on the chopping block in Congress. Lawmakers are considering slashing $2.4 billion dollars from the State Revolving Fund. The program helps Wisconsin replace lead pipes and filter toxic contamination out of drinking water supplies. Our state will lose $54 million next year if funding gets cut. Parts of Wisconsin are being invaded this month—by lake m...

Wisconsin’s general fishing season opens May 3rd. With more than 15,000 lakes, 42,000 miles of streams and rivers, 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River, there are plenty of great places cast your line. But you might want to check the DNR’s fish consumption advisories before you head out. Many fish should only be consumed once a month, or sometime less than th...

Rules that protect Wisconsinites from seven so-called “super toxic” air pollutants including mercury, PCBs and benzene are on the chopping block in Congress. Lawmakers are considering a joint resolution that would roll back stronger safeguards for the chemicals under the Clean Air Act. Never in the Act’s 50-year history has Congress ever reduced clean air protections. A new solar farm is up and ru...

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin taking the unusual step of extending its public comment deadline on a proposed methane gas power plant in Oak Creek. That’s after We Energies customers packed a recent public hearing on the plant. Many are worried about air pollution, climate impacts and the eye-opening price tag. We Energies wants to spend more than a billion dollars. The public now has...

Thousands of Wisconsin homeowners and businesses are getting tax credits this April for installing solar. The Inflation Reduction Act passed almost 3 years ago provides a tax credit to cover 30% of the cost of solar. Non-profits, schools, and local governments can also access the credit even though they don’t pay taxes through the Direct Pay provision of the law. The Public Service Commission of W...

A record number visitors toured America’s national parks and monuments last year, including sites in Wisconsin. More than 331 million people flocked to national parks in 2024. Here in Wisconsin, Apostle Islands and the St. Croix Scenic National Riverway both saw boosts in visitors. But it’s unclear what the summer travel season will hold this year, after the Trump Administration fired 1,000 nation...

A Wisconsin judge has affirmed that Canadian oil giant Enbridge must pause construction on its Line 5 pipeline while a legal challenge plays out. Conservation groups are suing to block state permits that would allow the company to clear tress, dig trenches and fill wetlands in northern Wisconsin to make way for a new 41-mile section of the pipeline that carries Canadian crude oil to refineries in...

Wisconsin faces turmoil as federal EV charging funds are paused, stalling a $78 million initiative. Meanwhile, outdoor recreation surges, pumping $11 billion into local economies. Explore environmental strategies and advocacy.